Double-Edged Sword
by AeonFrodo
Summary: Metis Cykes would do anything to give her daughter a normal and happy life, but was it worth it at the expense of her daughter's love? [Contains major Dual Destinies spoilers]


I thought of writing this at the thought of 'What did my mother feel when I went through that treatment?' For those that are aware, I have sensitive hearing and me and my mother sacrificed a lot of our free time when I was a kid to help me deal with learning in noisy classrooms and being able to enjoy celebrations with music blaring. Writing this did strike a chord within me, because I have experienced something like this. So I hope you all like this, somehow.

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**Disclaimer: Ace Attorney and all recognisable characters belong to Capcom.**

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**Double-Edged Sword**

"_**A double-edged sword is one that cuts the opponent and one that cuts the wielder."**_

She sighed. Very little progress had been made since the last check up. Machines were completely accurate, unlike anecdotal evidence. The cold truth was printed in black and white before her. The woman shook her head. No one should have to endure that sort of pain. Yet, her creation was used to prevent her child from suffering for the rest of her life.

The woman faced her daughter. The girl was smiling, unaware of the grim news. The woman left her seat, and knelt down to her daughter's level with a severe expression. The girl recoiled, knowing what this face meant.

"How much longer?" The girl's voice strained, fearing for the worse. Tears were already forming in the ducts of her eyes.

The woman paused, looking deep into her daughter's eyes. How they sparked full of life, even in the darkest times. The gift of life seemed to be the furthest thing she was giving her precious daughter.

"A while."

The girl pursed her lips. "How long is a while?"

Her mother's immediate response was a warm embrace, catching her daughter off guard. Her left arm hovered over the back of the girl's head, her fingertips lightly touching the plastic band. It was a horrible reminder that the device was here to stay.

"I don't know Athena."

The girl gently pushed her mother's shoulders, rejecting her answer. The woman could only comply to her daughter's wishes, letting her arms drop to her side. She could do nothing to make her daughter smile.

"I'm going to my room."

Athena spun around, stomping out of the room. Her mother watched helplessly, knowing that she was going to become familiar with her daughter's back over the coming years. When the door closed, cutting the woman from the outside world, she picked herself up and returned to her desk.

One glance of that paper was all that was needed to break the woman into a fit of sorrow and tears.

* * *

Years later, Athena Cykes appeared perfectly normal for an eleven year old girl. She had her interests, her hobbies, and she played with her friend. There was only one thing that prevented her being normal was her incredibly sensitive ears.

She had been wearing those weird, pink headphones during each waking moment for the past five years. She never got used to the pain, and being constantly exposed to them always made her tired. She was lucky to head to school twice a week at most, although there were some weeks where she couldn't attend school at all.

Although, Athena always had enough energy to play with her best friend, Juniper Woods. The girls would be outside, observing their surroundings. Athena held onto her trusty sketchpad, prepared to draw something interesting that Juniper saw. Her friend lived in the mountains, and had a much better eye for nature than her.

Athena's mother watched the two girls from a distance. Her daughter was happiest when playing with her best friend. Metis was glad that despite the girl's condition, she could enjoy her life, no matter how bad it seemed. However, Athena still had to wear those headphones, and until her auditory threshold was heightened, her quality of life was much lower than the average child.

It took a lot of courage to head out to a public park for the Cykes family. None of the other kids wanted to be near Athena because of her weird looking headphones, and she was given strange looks by both the children and their parents. Metis could scarcely imagine what would be going through her daughter's and her friend's minds when they saw those looks. Did they simply ignore them and continued playing with each other? Or did they really feel judged based on Athena's appearance?

Metis shook her head. She shouldn't be worrying about this so much. The headphones were meant to treat her daughter's condition. She had more pressing matters to attend to, such as looking over her research papers.

"Hello Cykes-Sensei. I was told you would be here. Do you mind if I sit next to you?"

The woman looked up from her papers, her gaze meeting with her student, Simon Blackquill. She warmly smiled, giving him permission to sit next to her. Simon obliged, taking the empty seat. The young prosecutor was always so kind and considerate to those around him, a trait of her student's that she envied. If she was more like him, perhaps Athena would approach her more often.

"How is she coping?" Simon enquired, gesturing towards her daughter.

Metis looked over at her child, hiding her shock that it was the first thing he asked about. Juniper had pointed out something that took Athena's interest, and she drew out her sketchpad and started drawing it.

"She appears to be well."

"Appears?" Simon questioned, raising his eyebrows at his mentor's choice of words.

"Athena sometimes... hides her pain from Juniper whenever they're playing together, or-"

Her voice began to tremble ever so slightly whenever she thought about it. It was almost a sign to express that her heart was breaking merely just thinking about the damage that had been done over the past five years.

"-Maybe she's almost able to live a normal life."

Simon smiled sincerely at the suggestion. _The day Dr. Cykes' work will come to fruition is near_, he thought – until he set his gaze on Metis. He sensed her misery, feeling that he had greatly disrespected her; though he wanted to see her lips form a smile that he loved.

"If the latter is true, it is fantastic that your hard work has paid off. Aren't you excited?"

"I wish I could feel that way," Metis answered solemnly, her voice on the precipice of holding back her despair, "But I'm... questioning whether it was worth putting my energy intro researching and fixing my daughter's condition."

Simon was taken aback by his mentor's grim response. He had to remind her that her work was out of her love and dedication for her daughter. He was told of the sleepless nights of research and the construction of the headphones, the relentless testing to make sure they were working and the regular check-ups to observe the progress made on desensitising Athena's ears.

The efforts this mother would do for her daughter was more than enough to prove that she loved her daughter above anything else. Simon admired what she had done to make this possible. And she couldn't falter now – not when she was _so close _to seeing the results of all her endeavours.

"Of course it's worth it. Athena can finally live a normal life, without experiencing sensory overload wherever she goes. Isn't that what you wanted for her?"

"Yes!"

Simon was speechless. It was the first time he had seen his mentor, Doctor Metis Cykes, snap. He grew concerned for her stability regarding Athena and her headphones. This should be a time of great optimism, not hopelessness.

Before he could soothe his teacher, she continued, "But... my little treasure only sees me, and the headphones, as pain. And... _she hates me_. She doesn't smile around me. She doesn't return my affection when I hug her... and when I do she pushes me away as soon as she can. She holds... no love for me... and I'm reminded of it every day... as long as she wears those headphones."

A tear trailed down her face, as much as she tried to hold it back. It was the small window that Simon could see into her damaged soul, starving from warmth and affection from the one she treasured. It was all that he needed to understand his mentor's anguish.

Suddenly in one fluid motion, Simon turned to her and wrapped his arms around her. He didn't care about the onlookers in the park who happened to look their way. No one, especially the woman who worked to her bone to improve her daughter's life, should be deprived of love.

Metis was caught off guard. But she relaxed in her student's arms, so much so she cried on his shoulder. Her pain, isolation and grief flowed down her face, and a weight that she was so accustomed to had lifted from her. She wanted to be in his arms forever, just to reveal in the affection she was receiving. The psychologist had no idea how much she _needed_ this.

"Metis," Simon paused, realising he just dropped all formalities with her. He shouldn't care, not at this very moment. "You are saving your daughter's quality of life. She may not realise it now, but in time, she will love you. One day, Athena will realise that the sacrifices you made were all for her. Then you can both live in the happiness you both deserve."

Metis gripped Simon tighter. She hoped what he said was true. That one day, she and her daughter could live in happiness once Athena's treatment was finished. It was going to take time to heal their relationship, but it was all the pain going to be worth it.

"Mum?"

Metis slowly turned her attention to her daughter, finding it hard to believe she would approach her in another's arms. She had her friend by her side, who appeared to share the same curiosity. She felt Simon's arms slide off her, so she could attend to her child.

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"We were wondering why Simon hugged you."

Athena awkwardly averted eye contact with her mother, staring at something or someone else. Juniper tugged her shoulder, bringing Athena's focus back to the conversation at hand.

"Shouldn't you ask why your Mum is crying?" Juniper quipped.

"I only came here because of Simon, not Mum."

Metis' heart sunk. It was too good to be true, to expect her daughter to be concerned for her. She glanced at Simon, who had risen from his seat and approached Athena. There was a glimmer of hope in her heart that he was going to make this situation better, for her.

Simon went down on one knee, staring into Athena's dull eyes. He managed to grin before he spoke to her in his warmest voice.

"Your mother has a big surprise for you, and it made her feel... so happy that she cried. She'll tell you when it's ready."

"You know what it is Simon, why can't you tell me?"

"I have absolutely no right to. It's something she has worked very hard on for many years. To take away that from her... is dishonourable."

Athena momentarily looked over at her mother, before she gave him a nod that she understood everything. He pat her on the shoulder, giving his permission to resume what she was playing with Juniper. Athena rushed back to Juniper's side, where they decided to head towards the swings.

As Simon returned to Metis' side, Metis couldn't help but smile with how he handled the situation. Even though she wasn't the one who reassured her, Simon gave her a huge opportunity to rekindle her relationship with her daughter.

Metis couldn't wait until the day she could tell her daughter that she could live a normal life without the burden of her sensitive hearing.

* * *

_Unfortunately, that day never came._

Metis Cykes was caught off guard in her laboratory. Ambushed by the assailant, she barely had any time to react before she was thrown to the ground. Shooting pain ran through her back, paralysing her in a helpless position.

Once she heard her blade being drawn from its scabbard, she knew she only had moments left. She heard the assassin's footsteps move antagonising slow towards her, as she tried to move her body from her vulnerable position. But no matter how much she tried, her body refused to listen to her desperate commands.

She stared at the assassin, who had donned her Japanese Noh mask. He looked like the phantom that she had described to Athena, and now the ghost had come to claim her life. He raised the blade, aiming its tip to her heart.

Somehow, she managed to turn her head to face the laboratory doorway, to avoid seeing the sword plunge into her chest. However, she was met with an inevitable tragedy. Her daughter just entered the doorway, holding a piece of paper.

In distraught, Metis reached out for Athena. But before she could scream, the blade silenced her. As she felt herself fade from the world, she could only think of her poor daughter. Hoping somehow, Athena Cykes could live a normal and happy life, despite witnessing her mother being murdered before her.

* * *

The retrial of her mother's murder was the worst time for Athena to find out her mother loved her above anything else. She stared at the screen of the Mood Matrix, in complete shock that girl covered in blood, with the distant eyes, the devious smile was her seven years ago.

Her breath was heavy. Simon's testimony had only meant one thing. She killed her mother over a pair of headphones that were supposed to remedy her condition, but also caused her great pain. It was the only truth that made sense with the evidence.

Her boss tried to argue for her innocence, but she stopped him from further embarrassing himself. She had to accept this horrible truth. She had to face responsibility.

When she looked at Widget's screen for one last time, memories and emotions flooded her mind. Every action her mother made in regards to the headphones was out of love, not her research. The pain, the headaches, and her exhaustion, all were a sign that the headphones were working as intended. In hindsight, she wished she knew this when she was a child.

Athena was wounded deeply. Now that she knew her mother loved her, she wanted to turn back time. Instead of pushing her poor mother away, she would accept her warm arms around her body. She would spend more time with her, than in her room or with Simon. She wanted to love her mother again, but it was seven years too late.

She resigned herself to fate. The only thing that could clear her conscience was being found guilty of her mother's murder. Athena felt like she killed her long before the day of her death.

And now, her sword had finally cut her.


End file.
